Contemporary Issues in the Education System
The education system has undergone much progress in the past decade from the aspect of breadth and liberty of topics being made available to students, the facilities provided for the faculty and student body, and even in the role that it plays in the environment, politics, and society in general. It may be said that the education system in various parts of the world has undergone a revolution. However, it cannot yet be said that it has perfected its craft for the education system still faces various issues at the present and it would need the cooperation of the society, its faculty and student body, as well as the education board of each country for it to overcome the many challenges that it faces. This paper shall illustrate the contemporary issues of the education system during these times.
In 2005, Preston discussed in his work the contemporary issues in education. One of the issues that he highlighted is that the education system itself has no single sense of direction. This applies to several aspects, one of which may be the field in which universities aim to specialize in. With the aim of catering to a larger part of the student market and widening its influence and further establishing its stature in the community, universities tend to be a jack of all trades but master of none in terms of the discipline that it wants to specialize in. Because of this, the resources with which it provides facilities and benefits for its student body have become so stretched and spread so thinly that more may have been accomodated in terms of headcount but the benefit and gains of each one turns out to be so minimal and insignificant. This may specifically refer to the types of research technology it employs in its laboratory classes, the infrastructures that it builds for classes and conventions, or the scholarship it provides for individuals who have high potentials but lack in financial resources. If each university could find in themselves the determination to stick to one forte, whether the sciences, business, law, arts, or another discipline, this renewed focus on which field to allocate their resources to would allow them to maximize the contributions to the facilities, infrastructures, as well as to the financial assistance provided for individuals with high potentials in their field of specialization.
Preston (2005) even mentions in its book the concern of academic authorities over the growing trend of schools being “bazaar universities” because they have been so fractured and fragmented that any organizing principle necessary for their united operations is lost. It must be understood that there is a great concern over the fragmented status of the universities because this predicament brings forth other problems for the education system as a whole. In fact, research shows other related problems in the system, such as “neglect of undergraduate teaching by research universities in favor of inconsequential research… garbled education purposes, trivialized scholarships, improper accounting techniques, falsification of experimental results…” (Preston, 2005). Such concerns about the manner by which universities conduct their operations, manage their resources, and implement their objectives have attracted critics to point a finger at schools for being self-indulgent and self-serving.
The concern over the contemporary issues that the education system faces is not limited to the quality of education that it provides for the student or their ability to make their alumni attractive in the job market. The concern over contemporary issues involving the current education systems is just a part of the bigger picture where society expects universities to be able to produce generations of youth that are well rounded on global issues and capable of doing their part to improve their respective communities. This, however, would not be possible if universities continue to be self-serving and oblivious to their role as formators in society. In a way, the universities themselves are expected to be role models for their student bodies as well as to open doors for such a revolution in education’s role in the global community.
REFERENCES
Bantock, G. (1981). The Parochialism of the Present: Contemporary Issues In Education. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.
Ehrenberg, R. (1994). Choices and Consequences: Contemporary Policy Issues In Education. New York: Cornell University Press.
Preston, D. (2005). Contemporary Issues In Education. New York: Rodopi